Felicity Huffman gave an Academy Award nominated performance as Bree Osbourne, a transsexual on the process of becoming a woman. She learns that she fathered a teenage son in New York from an ex girlfriend. Bree lives by herself in California and works two jobs, one at a Mexican restaurant and as a telemarketer. Her psychiatrist encourages her to face her past before becoming a woman. The film was one of the first about the trans gender issues over ten years ago. Felicity Huffman is a woman playing a man becoming a woman. Huffman earned her accolades well from this performance. As Bree, you see her as sympathetic, alone, and strong as well unwilling to face her disapproving family and her stranger son. The story of Stanley's past comes to meet with Bree's new life. The transcontinental journey reveals her son's own problem life and the circumstances that led to his life in New York City. The film takes a gentle sympathetic approach to the trans gender issue.

I regret that I came across this gem late. It is an fascinating road trip movie that has some of the most original characters I've seen in a long time. Felicity Huffman's portrayal of main character is amazing. Simply put...amazing. It skates the line between male/female so fine, you are absorbed by her characterization of Bree/Stanley over anything else. Whatever award that was sift by her, is well deserved.The performance all around is great. What is even more attention grabbing, is that it isn't preachy. It doesn't give you the wrong of right of whether the decision that she needs to make is political. It's not. It's a choice. And at the point you think it's about to get overly maudlin, it pulls back to comedy. A joy of a movie to watch.

11096377 I watched this movie in a Human Sexuality class, as we were discussing the topic of trans gender individuals. I enjoyed this movie because it allows an individual an insight to how many issues that trans gender people face in reality. One main issue that I thought was interesting was the fact that Bree did not want to tell Toby, her son, that she was the father of him. When Toby was explaining how his father was to Bree he showed a picture, which was of Bree when she was male, and she lost her feminine characteristics at the time as if she was disgusted by the way she used to be as a male. Also while on a road trip, Bree stops to stay at her friend's place where there just so happens to be a "trans gender cruise planning party", Toby gets introduced to many of Bree's trans gender friends. Bree does not want them to tell Toby that she too is indeed a trans gender because she is scared of what Toby might think. Afterwards Toby tells Bree he thought all the people were nice, which changes Bree's opinion and she opens up more to Toby. She did not tell Toby the truth about being the father until a night at her parent's home. I think Toby should not view Bree any different than he did originally whether she is male or female; Bree is still the only parental figure in his life and he should be grateful for that although her gender identity has changed throughout the years, she is still the same person.

Felicity Huffman turns in one of the most complex and engaging performances I've seen in a long time as Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne, a transsexual who's down to her final stages of her final operation as she's about to lose the man jewels as she is finally rid of the horrid past she encountered when she was a man named Stanley. It's a misnomer to some who think that this is a goofy zany comedy film, or a preachy film about the trials and tribulations of becoming transsexual. It is a vulgar satire that uplifts the dramatic elements from the obstacles of the plot and the surprising outcomes that manifest at the principal elements as the movie progresses.In his directorial debut, Duncan Tucker has took on the classic road movie to a new direction that pits Bree and her re-acquaintance with the son she only once fathered. Toby is a juvenile homeless kid who is the biological son of the former Stanley who was once in a relationship with his recently deceased mother. Bree and Toby embark on a cross-country journey from New York to Los Angeles. Sure people might scoff by saying that this is another cross-country road movie. But if you look into the movie beyond the surface, it's really about a journey of a man trying to adapt into womanhood and the hardships it is in trying to adjust to the new life that has become of Bree.Tucker cleverly uses Bree's dreadful occupation as a telemarketer as a symbol of the obstacles Stanley faced during his quest of becoming a woman and Huffman utilizes her character's vulnerable traits and stiff posture. Sure it looked like open field for comical farce, but her acting it pitch perfect and takes her training and regiments very seriously which is all very believable. With the help from Jason Hayes (wig designer) we get to see the gradual physical molding of a man turn woman right before our very eyes and the fear of Bree returning to her old alter ego.The supporting cast backs Huffman up nicely. Young Kevin Zegers was accurate as the poor young confused misunderstood soul Toby who's oblivious that his father is now a mother and that Bree cowardly lied to Toby saying she was a church missionary when really she's really his biological father. Elizabeth Pena of "Lone Star" fame was sublime as Bree's strong-opinioned therapist. Graham Greene ("Dances With Wolves") was in top form as Bree's suitor Calvin Manygoats. And the scene-stealing comes from Bree's parents played by Bert Young and Fionnula Flanagan who are in perpetual denial over their son's life-rendering decision.Along with the parents, Carrie Preston as Bree's sister Sidney make the perfect dysfunctional family comedy foil as they easily go into Bree's self-loathing which is par for the course in most families who try to deal with problems. The film sporadically shifts into being overly sentimental tear-jerker and instead Tucker focuses more on the comedy elements and the absurd scenes that follow. This is a film worthy of its accolades and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too.